Ethiopia: Information on whether armed opposition organizations practise forced recruitment, especially the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in Addis Ababa (update to ETH14308.E of 15 July 1993)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH28690.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Information on whether armed opposition organizations practise forced recruitment, especially the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in Addis Ababa (update to ETH14308.E of 15 July 1993), 1 February 1998, ETH28690.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac6138.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on whether the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has practised forced recruitment could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in an article in the 21 November 1997 issue of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Mike Wessells cites a United Nations study on the impact of armed conflict on children, submitted in August 1996, to the effect that in Ethiopia militias have forcibly recruited children from schools. Citing the same source, Wessells wrote that
In Ethiopia, armed militias would surround a public area such as a marketplace, order every male to sit down and then force into a truck anyone deemed "eligible." At particular risk of abduction were teenagers who worked on the streets selling cigarettes or candy.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 21 November 1997. Mike Wessells. "Child Soldiers: in Some Places, if You're as Tall as A Rifle, You're Old Enough to Carry One." (Information Access Company 7 Jan. 1998/NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Bryden, Matthew D. February 1996. "Information Session on Ethiopia." Toronto: Convention Refugee Determination Division, Immigration and Refugee Board.
Ethiopian Register [Avon, Minnesota]. July 1997-January 1998.
Ethiopian Review [Atlanta]. June 1995-December 1997.
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Resource Information Center. December 1994. Profile Series: Ethiopia ( Update on Political Conditions. Washington, DC: United States INS Resource Information Center.
Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris]. 23 December 1995-24 January 1998.
IRB databases: Global News Bank, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD (UNHCR
database) World News Connection (WNC).
One oral source consulted did not provide information on the requested subject.
